Eastern's Public Relations Officer Invited To White House

READER SUBMITTED:

May 30, 2014|Nana Ama Owusu-Agyemang , '13 ECSU; '14 Emerson, Windham

Dwight Bachman, of Willimantic, spent May 21 at the White House, courtesy of an invitation by the White House Office of Public Engagement, to participate in a briefing on the Obama Administration's domestic and international priorities.

"The discussion focused on Immigration Reform; the upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit; Open Data and Transparency; and President Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" Initiative, a White House drive to ensure excellence in education for African American men" said Bachman, who has served as public relations officer at Eastern Connecticut State University for 24 years.

"I thank Tsehay Abebe, President Obama's advisor to the Bureau on Africa/U.S. Agency for International Development, and the person responsible for organizing the briefing, for recommending that I be invited to the White House. I met many key White House officials, including dignitaries from the State Department, the Departments of Health and Human Services, and Energy; and representatives from many national and international non-profit and news organizations."

Bachman said the conversation at the White House was comprehensive, warm, and free flowing and very inspiring. "It's amazing at how much the Obama Administration is really doing to help people that most people don't know about. I plan to share what I learned at the White House with Glen Cassis, director of Connecticut's African American Affairs Commission, and with people at Eastern. When acted on, the information I gleaned from meeting will bode well for all the people of Connecticut."

Bachman earned his Master's degree in African and African American Studies at Cornell University in 1974. "I carry that knowledge with me everywhere I go, incorporating it into everything I do. Today, I read African American History just like I read my Bible -- every day!"